Fish fauna of Pratagi River coastal microbasin, extreme north Atlantic Forest, Rio Grande do Norte state, northeastern Brazil

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to inventory the ichthyofauna of the coastal Pratagi River basin, located on the east coast of the state, region with intense tourist activities. A total of 2,181 specimens were collected, from August 2011 to August 2013, using sieves, trawls, cast nets, traps and gillnets. Additionally, two species (Centropomus sp. and Lutjanus alexandrei) have only been recorded through underwater observations, summing 22 species and genera, 18 families and nine orders. Along the Pratagi drainage some human impacts were identified, mainly related to tourist activities, such as removal of riparian vegetation and sedimentation caused by the passage of vehicles on dunes. Species richness was lower near the most visited places and greater in the lower portion of the basin, due to the presence of estuarine and marine species. Apparently, a set of small waterfalls act as a barrier to some fish species, both upstream and downstream.